This past week I had arranged a meeting with Hugo Bos, the owner at Polymetaal, an incredible printmaking supplier located in Leiden and Oude Wetering, Netherlands.  Having printed a few test proofs on the Dutch made Laurier 250g (made by the Dutch Schut Paper Mill) paper last week I was determined to get it for a good price. So I was told Polymetaal is the place to go for a great deal on bulk paper (ie. 50-100 sheets).  The warehouse where they have the supplies is located at Kerkstraat 8 in Oude Wetering, NL. There is also another location of Polymetaal in Leiden, NL.

Oude Wetering is a beautiful village located right on a canal. Picturesque to say the least! Lucky for us there was a little street fair happening so we were able to experience a bit of the local flavor while walking to the warehouse. Upon arrival you walk down a gravel path and through a fence where you will find the bell to ring.  As the door opened the smell of printing inks and old presses filled the air.  We were escorted up a wooden staircase to the top  floor of the building which was filled with rows of inks, paper, rollers and all the tools any printmaker could desire. Pinch me now! The extremely knowledgeable owner Hugo was eager to share all the information about what he had to offer.  If you make an appointment to visit the warehouse you can check out all the samples of the papers he sells in large quantities.  I walked out superbly happy with my 100  22 x 30" sheets of Laurier 250 g white printing paper.  Can't wait to be back in the studio on Monday 11 July.

Today I stopped in to the Grafische Werkplaats to pick up my key and drop off some supplies in my drawer. I was excited to hear that another artist, Fred Mutebi will also be printing in the shop in the coming weeks. Fred is a woodcut artist from Uganda. Ironically, the Sacred Heart school in Uganda is in the village he comes from.  What a small world we live in!

Today I took a trip to Artifac Art Supply shop located off the 16 tram in The Hague, Netherlands. Super friendly and helpful staff and they had exactly the tools I needed to begin work on this coming Monday in the print studio.  I purchased three Gerstaecker oil based etching inks in Prussian Blue, Titanium White and Transparent Extender.  I also scored two amazing brayers one of which has it's own feet! I bought two clear map presentation folders to use for press registration and paper storage, newsprint and a can of Diaglass Parketlak which I learned last week is a good lacquer for coating the surface of my printing plates. Getting very excited to visit the Polymetaal warehouse for paper on Saturday!

​Today, 1 July 2016 I had my introduction day at The Grafische Werkplaats located at 16 Prinsegracht in The Hague, Netherlands. It was truly a treat to be in a studio again and working with such talented master printer, Jurjen Ravenhorst.  I will be making a new body of collograph prints at The Grafische Werkplaats this July- August 2016. This is an incredible opportunity and I am excited to share the adventure through my blog.

I am pleased with the construction of the first collograph plate (16 x 16").  The image is a close up of the Manhattan Bridge which I travel daily to work on the Upper East side. I enjoyed walking over and photographing this bridge in May in preparation for this print. I have some minor tweaking to do on the open spaces of the plate before it is ready to edition.  This is just the first look at the image.  I am also planning to experiment with adding a transparent color behind the key image.